Summer in Canada is short and intense, and every moment of it deserves to be savoured. That’s easy enough in historic Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, the first capital of Upper Canada, where the languorous days of summer and fall are marked by a succulent sequence of joyous harvests.

This delightful town, home of the Shaw Festival, wineries and fabulous 18^th- and 19^th-century homes and gardens, is the gem of southern Ontario. There’s an exquisite common behind Fort George National Historic Site, where Major General Brock—the “Saviour of Upper Canada”—was buried after his triumph over the Americans, in 1812, at the Battle of Queenston Heights.

Now all injury is forgotten, and sailboats from the countries of former foes compete against each other along the beautiful Niagara River, in full view of the American Old Fort Niagara. Here, in this little bit of heaven, it’s possible to horseback ride, cycle (rent, or put your bike on the VIA Rail train from nearby Toronto) or walk along the river’s edge—a stone’s throw from the American side.

And come June, to eat strawberries so delicious, you’ll swear to yourself you’ll never buy them out of season, in a supermarket or far from the fields where they were picked short hours before again. So begin, on the longest day of the year, at the Strawberry Festival on the grounds of handsome St. Andrews Church and end with a fine meal at Stone Road Grille, Hillebrand Winery Restaurant or Inn on the Twenty in nearby Jordan. This is what summer tastes like—and poetry, and love.

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